IncludEd Thought of the Day: SEND Reform – A Pause for Reflection and Collaboration
On the 22nd of October 2025, it was announced that the long-awaited reform of England’s SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) system has been delayed until early 2026.
For many working tirelessly to support children with additional needs, delays like this can feel frustrating and disheartening. However, this pause has been positioned as an opportunity – a chance to take a more collaborative, evidence-based approach before implementing significant changes that will shape the future of SEND provision.
A Step Back to Move Forward
The forthcoming SEND White Paper is expected to outline a long-term plan to strengthen early help, build local capacity, and ensure that schools are fairly resourced to meet the diverse needs of their pupils. The reform continues to emphasise joined-up working between education, health, and care services – alongside reinforcing legal safeguards for children and families.
The government’s decision to delay centres on the principle of “getting it right, not rushing it.” Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has emphasised that the extra time will allow for deeper engagement with schools, local authorities, parent groups, and sector experts. Regional listening sessions will continue throughout the year to gather insight from those working directly with children and families – the people who understand best what inclusion looks like in practice.
The Vision Remains the Same
While the timeline has shifted, the priorities remain consistent:
• Early identification and intervention, ensuring needs are met before they escalate.
• Local provision, helping more children to thrive within their own communities.
• Fair and sustainable funding, so schools can plan and deliver the support pupils need.
• Evidence-based practice, focusing on what genuinely works in improving outcomes.
• Stronger partnerships, ensuring education, health, and care services work together, not in silos.
In many ways, the delay is less about changing direction and more about ensuring the reforms are grounded in reality and informed by the lived experiences of educators, families, and young people themselves.
What This Means for Schools and Local Authorities
For schools, this period of uncertainty reinforces the importance of continuing to build inclusive cultures from within. With budgets tight and specialist provision stretched, the focus remains on strengthening internal capacity and fostering environments where all learners can succeed.
Local authorities, meanwhile, continue to face intense pressures, from managing rising demand for EHCPs to balancing SEND budgets that are already under strain. Without immediate reform, these challenges remain, but so too does the opportunity to develop sustainable, long-term strategies rooted in collaboration and communication.
A Moment to Reaffirm Our Commitment to Inclusion
At IncludEd, we see this delay not simply as a policy setback but as a reminder of why inclusion work matters every day. Systems may change slowly, but schools, practitioners, and communities continue to make progress through reflection, shared learning, and commitment to doing what’s right for children.
Inclusive practice is not something that waits for policy. It grows through relationships, through understanding, and through a shared belief that every child deserves to be seen, supported, and successful.
“Inclusion is not a destination we arrive at — it’s a journey we take together, one thoughtful step at a time.”